


Finding Home

by franticatlantic



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Business Man Josh, College Student Tyler, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-29 03:41:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8474056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/franticatlantic/pseuds/franticatlantic
Summary: Josh has a kid. He’s recently divorced. He works a lot.
Tyler doesn’t care about any of that.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is for an [anon](http://vintagetyler.tumblr.com/post/152726122258/request-age-gap-joshler-ex-josh-is-a-divorced) on tumblr who wanted an age gap joshler fic with josh as a divorced family man and tyler as a college student. i had so much fun writing this, wow.

Tyler always gets the longest shifts at the grocery store. Shifts that leave him leaning on his register, yawning behind his hand and trying not to drool all over himself.

Which is a feat he personally thinks he should get a raise for because he had to get up early this morning to finish his English paper, get to class and turn it in, attend his two other classes, and then come here to stand behind the conveyor belt and make a valiant attempt not to collapse in exhaustion.

But he really needs the money.

“Tyler.”

He glances tiredly over to the customer service desk and his manager flashes five fingers at him.

Stifling another yawn, Tyler grabs his phone and hits the speaker button. His voice crackles over the intercom. “Attention shoppers, we will be closing in five minutes. Please bring any and all items to register 8 for checkout, please. Thank you.”

He all but slams the phone back down onto the receiver and hangs his head, eyes slipping shut.

“Boo!”

An eye cracks back open.

Tyler has to lean over the edge of the counter to see the girl standing there, she’s so short. Maybe 6 or 7, with long dark hair and chubby cheeks. She’s wearing a pink shirt with a silver studded crown on it, a fluffy pink tutu, and pink and purple striped tights. The getup is garish, but cute.

“Hi there, princess.” Tyler leans over the counter and smiles, his head thumping. “Who do you belong to?”

“I’m not a princess!” The girl spits. “I’m a pirate!”

Tyer hums. “Then why are you wearing a tutu?”

“Because daddy dressed me.” She rolls her eyes, long-suffering, and hooks a finger at Tyler. “Boo!”

“Don’t you know pirates say-“

“Riley!” This from a man who comes skidding into view between registers 8 and 9. “Jesus, kid, you can’t just run away from me like that. You scared the hell out of me.”

The man scoops her up and Riley scowls. “Mama says hell is a bad word.”

“Yeah, well, mama’s not here right now, right?”

The girl shrugs, as if to say _I guess you’re right_.

The man settles Riley on his hip and bounces her a bit, parts her hair away from her face and inspects her for nonexistent cuts and bruises. Then he turns dark eyes on Tyler. “Sorry about her. She can be slippery.”

The man is wearing a suit that doesn’t look cheap - though to Tyler anything that costs more than 20 dollars might as well be designer - and he has dark hair that meets on his chin to form a scruffy beard. Speaking of designer, the watch on his wrist looks like it costs more than Tyler’s entire wardrobe.

Tyler shakes his head. “I was just trying to explain to her that she’s a princess, not a pirate.”

“Come again?” The man looks confused and Tyler can’t believe he has to explain the difference between a princess and a pirate to a grown-ass man.

Instead of doing that, though, he just says, “Because of the tutu?”

“Oh,” the man laughs, “I just thought it’d be cute.”

“I’m a pirate!” Riley shrieks. “Boo!”

“Argh, actually,” Tyler corrects.

“Argh?”

“Argh, matey. It’s what pirates say.”

“Argh, matey!” She tries it out, puffing her cheeks. “I like boo better.”

“Whatever floats your boat.”

The man watches this interaction bemusedly and then glances at the clock. “Shit-“

“Another bad word!” Riley yells.

“-do you have like, 2 more minutes? I really have to grab something.”

It’s one minute past closing now, but Tyler shrugs. There are no other customers currently in the store and the guy seems pretty harried. Tyler’s manager is also nowhere in sight. “Sure.”

He really should be getting back to the dorms soon and catching up on the sleep he lost last night, but why would he pass up the chance to talk to the hottest guy he’s seen in a while? Especially when he’s already been so low on sleep the past few weeks that it hardly even affects him anymore.

Hardly, right.

That’s why he’s nodding off again when hot dad comes back with a sugar-free fruit punch powder, practically dragging Riley by the hand, who seems to want to knock everything off every shelf she sees.

Tyler can’t help but laugh, even though he’ll be the one cleaning it up.

Riley grins at him.

By way of conversation, Tyler, as he’s sliding the powder along the scanner and bagging it, says, “This stuff is really good,” even though he’s never had it.

“Oh, yeah?” The guy is riffling through his wallet and forking a 20 over. “She needs it because she loves juice, but she can’t have sugar.”

“Maltodextrin,” Riley corrects.

“Same thing, honey.”

Tyler doesn’t know if maltodextrin is the same thing as sugar - he’s not a Bio major. He hands hot dad his change and the bag with Riley’s sugar-free fruit juice powder.

Hot dad hefts the bag. “You sure this is gonna be good?”

“Cross my heart,” Tyler says, and does so.

“Thank you…” Hot dad squints at his name tag. “Tyler.”

“You’re welcome…” Tyler trails off, hoping for a name.

He doesn’t get one, just a small smile and a wave from Riley.

Although the guy does glance back once, at the exit door, and Tyler gives the flirtiest smile he can manage, knowing nothing will come of it anyway.

-

“He was probably the hottest guy I’ve ever seen,” Tyler elaborates.

“You said he had a daughter. How old was this guy?”

“About middle age-“ Mark pretends to be sick. “-but he was really hot, dude, I swear!”

“I’ll believe it when I see a picture of him.” Mark pops a Sour Skittle into his mouth and wipes the leftover sour dust onto the floor.

Tyler frowns. “Dude, c’mon. We’re in the library.”

“So? I don’t get paid to perform janitorial duties.”

“Whatever.” Tyler sighs and starts gathering his things. “That’s a no on the picture anyway - I don’t think Hot Dad’s gonna be coming in anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve worked there for months and I’ve never seen him before. He was probably just passing through.”

“Never know,” Mark says with a little wink. “Stranger things have happened.”

“Mhm.” Tyler gets his bag packed and starts for the exit.

“Hey, if you get that essay done before me can you send it over so I can copy off you?”

Tyler flips him the bird.

-

Stranger things _have_ happened, as Tyler can attest to. Like the fact that he actually passed his Public Speaking final his Freshman year or that Jenna Black even wanted to talk to him in high school (even though they broke up when they graduated). Or the fact that two days later Hot Dad is wandering down Tyler’s lane with a basket full of food.

Tyler thinks of his phone, burning a hole in his pocket, and wishes his manager weren’t standing right over at customer service watching him otherwise he’d whip it out and take a creeper picture to show Mark later on. And rub it in his face that _this_ is the hot middle-aged guy Tyler met at the organic supermarket so suck on that, Mark!

“You guys moved your sugar-free juice powder,” Hot Dad says, mock annoyed, as he starts piling his things on the conveyor belt.

“You should’ve come to me,” Tyler tells him, trying not to make the innuendo too obvious. “I could’ve pointed you in the right direction.”

Hot Dad shrugs and smiles. “It’s alright. A nice young man was able to help me after I looked around for about half an hour.”

 _Which young man?_ Tyler wants to ask. _Was it Brian? I bet it was, that snake. There he is down aisle 10 now - grab him!_

“You found everything else okay?” Hot Dad nods and Tyler glances at a spot of floor by his feet. “No Riley today?”

The other man gives a jerk of his head, which Tyler thinks is supposed to mean no. “She’s with her mom this weekend.”

Tyler’s kind of not glad he brought the daughter up and he scans and bags in silence for a while. Eventually everything is bagged and he clears his throat awkwardly. “Your total comes to-“

“How old are you, Tyler?”

His brain short circuits and he says “cash or credit” before wringing his hands together. “Me?” He asks, as though there’s anyone else around the man might be asking. “I’m, uh, 19.”

Hot Dad nods, swiping his card on the pin pad without bothering to look at the screen. No, instead he’s looking right at Tyler. He’s wearing a different suit today, but still a nice one. He doesn’t say anything.

So Tyler rocks back and forth a little, not wanting Hot Dad to go but also wanting him to leave actually right the fuck now so Tyler can piss his pants like he feels he’s about to. “How old are _you_?” He asks, because it’s only fair, right?

“I’m 34,” the man says and doesn’t give Tyler time to even digest that information before he’s grabbing his bags and saying, “listen, the reason I ask is because I was wondering if you’d like to go out sometime. I know it must be weird, getting hit on by a guy almost twice your age, but-“

“No!” Tyler shouts, and he’s shaking and didn’t mean to say it that loud. He composes. “No, it’s not weird. At all. I’ve been hit on by guys twice _your_ age, trust me.”

“But it weirds you out that I have a kid?”

“Nope. Does weird me out that I don’t know your name, though. I just call you Hot Dad to all my friends.” Just the one, actually.

“Are you serious?” Hot Dad thinks that’s just the most hilarious thing he’s ever heard, doubling over with laughter in the middle of Tyler’s lane. Tyler’s just glad there’s no one behind him in line. He wipes a tear from his eye. “That’s amazing. I’m Josh.”

“Tyler.”

Josh grins. “This I know.”

Turning toward the receipt console, he rolls a piece out, grabs a pen from his apron, and scribbles his number down. When he turns back, Josh has a can of something held out to him. “My number,” Tyler says.

And Josh says, “For you” as they switch items. “Looked like you needed some serious caffeination help last time I saw you.”

Josh tosses the piece of receipt in one of his bags and gathers them. “I’ll call you.”

“Please do.”

Tyler clutches the can in his hand until Josh is all the way out the door, and then looks down. It’s a tall, ice cold can of Starbucks doubleshot.

He sets the can on the register and sort of clutches his chest. _Did I just get a sugar daddy?_

-

He didn’t, in fact, get a sugar daddy. At least not in the traditional sense of swapping money or material items for sex. Because Josh calls him late that night when he’s hanging out with Mark and keeps his promise to actually ask him on a real date.

“This is him!” Tyler shouts, shooting up and letting his Xbox controller fall to the floor. Of course, he doesn’t really know if it’s Josh, but it’s the only unknown number that’s called him in God knows how long.

“Let me listen!” Mark screams back, making grabby hands.

On the TV, both of their characters die.

“Gross, no, stop.” He’s about to answer when Mark stands and advances toward him.

“If you don’t put that shit on speaker phone right now I’m gonna scream ‘fuck me in the ass’ while you’re on the phone with him.”

Tyler has to lock himself in the bathroom before he answers, trying to sound casual and like he didn’t just have to run around the room dodging his best friend. “Hello?”

“Tyler, hi! It’s Josh. How are you?”

“I’m good. I’m _really_ good, how are you?”

“Doing well. Where are you?” Josh asks, presumably because Tyler’s voice is echoing. Fucking Mark.

“I’m, uh…at the gym?” Tyler says, and then makes a face. Why the fuck did he say that?

Josh grunts. “Listen, are you still up for our date?”

“Of course!”

“Great. I was thinking tomorrow night? Around 8? You can pick the place if you want.”

“Sure, that sounds fun.” Tyler bites his lip, already running through a list of restaurants that aren’t too expensive, but are still classy enough that Josh won’t think he’s a total heathen.

“You can text me your address and I’ll pick you up then?”

Tyler nods, forgetting Josh can’t see him. “Okay. I’ll see you then.”

“Awesome. Goodbye, Tyler.”

“Bye, Josh.”

Tyler sits on the toilet for a moment and then hears Mark yell, “Fuck me in the ass! My man’s gonna get his dick wet!”

-

Though Tyler is glad Josh wanted an actual date and not just to hit it and quit it, he wouldn’t mind if the date turned into something more after the fact. Anyone who knew Tyler (so really only Mark) knew he had a type, and Josh ticked all his boxes. Older, handsome, and slightly mysterious.

But it’s not to be. Josh texts him the following night, after Tyler has gotten dressed in his nicest button-down and a tie, for Christ’s sake, and tells him he won’t be able to make it, that something came up.

Disappointed, but not one to be easily deterred, Tyler replies.

_It’s all good. Reschedule?_

_Definitely._  
_How about next weekend?_

_Perfect._

So he won’t get a free meal tonight and he won’t get a dick up his ass and he won’t even get a goodnight kiss. But that’s okay. Because he’ll get all those things next weekend.

Tyler takes his nice clothes off and climbs in bed, masturbates furiously to the thought of Josh holding him down and fucking him within an inch of his life.

-

During his next shift at the grocery store he has to deal with some lady telling him he needs to learn how to bag correctly and/or do it faster and also stop scanning things twice (even though he didn’t scan anything twice) and no, I don’t need the receipt, you’ve wasted enough of my time.

So he’s already in a pretty shit mood when Josh makes an appearance.

“Hey, Tyler!” Josh starts piling things onto the belt with a smile, unabashed.

“Hi,” Tyler answers, scanning Josh’s items one by one. He’s not smiling.

Josh’s own grin falters only minimally. “How’ve you been?”

“Peachy. You?”

“I’ve been okay, thanks.” Josh’s smile disappears completely and Tyler doesn’t feel bad about the silence that follows, nor anxious. Not like the last time Josh was in his line and he felt like pissing himself out of excitement and nervousness.

“Your total comes to $45.63. Cash or credit?”

Josh is biting his lip, chewing on it really. “Credit.”

“Swipe.” Tyler leans back and crosses his arms.

“Are we, uh…are we still on for this weekend?” Josh questions.

“If you wanna be.” Tyler hands him his bags, a little rougher than necessary.

Josh rummages around in one and proffers another can of doubleshot. “For you.”

This time, Tyler just looks at Josh’s outstretched arm, covered once more by his nice - probably Armani - suit. “No, thanks.”

Tilting his head, Josh frowns. “You sure?”

“Positive.” _You can’t buy my affection, douchebag._

Josh sucks on his lips in a way Tyler can’t help but find endearing. “Okay,” he says, and plops the can back into the bag. “Have a good rest of your day.”

“You, too.”

-

Tyler cools down from his encounter with the rudest lady ever a little too late.

Josh lets him know a little farther ahead of time that he’s not going to be able to make it. _Something else came up._

Right. Tyler’s smartass attitude.

At least according to Mark.

“You shouldn’t have bitched him out that day, dude,” Mark says, trying to sound sympathetic, but instead coming off bossy. “I’m telling you that’s why he cancelled again.”

Tyler’s phone vibrates. “He wants to reschedule again, so…”

Mark sighs. “I mean, that’s up to you. But if you do, don’t be an asshat this time around. Because you know you’ll see him at work sometime between then and now.”

But the thing is, Tyler isn’t sure if he wants to go out with Josh anymore. It’s beginning to become too much of a hassle, there are too many rules. Do this if you want him and don’t do this if you _really_ want him and jump three times on one foot and roll around on the floor like a dog.

 _Sorry_ , is Tyler’s reply, _but I’m not really interested anymore._

_What?_  
_Why not?_

He doesn’t answer, just turns his phone’s screen off and tosses it on his pillow.

Josh is, after all, just a guy. Tyler was looking forward to some really good sex and some really good food, but there will be other guys.

“So?” Mark asks, and Tyler can tell he’s genuinely interested even though his eyes won’t leave the game he’s playing, something Tyler’s never heard of before.

“Told him I didn’t really want to. Pretty sure he’s straight anyway.”

“What?” Mark snorts. “If he were straight, why would he ask you out?”

Tyler shrugs. “Any number of reasons.” Many of which he doesn’t feel like explaining to Mark, his super straight best friend. “Anyway he has a kid. Like, if that doesn’t scream straight I don’t know what does.”

“Having a kid doesn’t automatically make you straight, dude. He could be bi or pan or maybe he was figuring things out and still having sex with girls at the time, who the hell knows? I think it’s pretty admirable of him to keep in contact with the kid if it’s any of those things. _Especially_ if he’s gay.” Mark pauses the game and looks seriously at Tyler. “Dude, he wasn’t wearing a ring, was he?”

“Nah. He’s definitely separated or divorced or something. I just…” Tyler inhales and then blows his breath out so that his lips flap together. “…I dunno, I’d like to see him of course. But if he’s not gonna make an effort, then what’s the point?”

“True that,” Mark sighs, and Tyler can tell the conversation’s over.

-

Tyler stands playing Mystic Messenger on his phone while his manager’s away inspecting the meat department and there are no customers in line.

He goes to scratch his nose and sees something out of the corner of his eye right before it swings down onto the conveyor. A hand, holding sugar-free juice packets.

Why does Josh always have to show up when the store’s way less than busy? Does he plan it this way? Knowing him - in his fancy, accountant-esque suits - he probably does.

“Hi,” Josh says, and Tyler shoves his phone in his pocket, goes to grab the container of packets and scan them, but Josh whips them out of his reach. “I’m really sorry if I did something to offend you.”

God, not this. Tyler would say there’s nothing worse than a desperate guy, but he can’t. He’s been in that same situation before.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Tyler lies, makes another swipe for the container.

But Josh steps back and cradles it to his chest, making it so that Tyler has no chance of grabbing it. And no choice but to stand here and talk to Josh, seeing as he can’t leave his post or Jerry will flip his shit when he comes back to customer service.

“Is there a reason you don’t want to go out with me anymore?”

Tyler crosses his arms and looks away. Why not tell him the truth? “You cancelled on me twice.” Josh makes to say something, but Tyler cuts him off. “Let me finish. You cancelled on me twice and I don’t believe you’re really gay. Or queer, or whatever.”

This seems to take Josh aback, confusion overtaking his features. “Why the hell would I ask you out if I wasn’t?”

Only a straight guy would have to ask that question. “Y’wanna know the truth, Josh? I think you’re just like every other middle-aged straight guy out there, looking to get his rocks off with young boys and then going home to their wives at night. Except you don’t have a wife. I see no ring. Hell, maybe that’s the reason you got a divorce in the first place. She catch you with one of your students in the bathroom of the school’s auditorium during the sports banquet?”

“That is most certainly not why we got divorced-“

“Irrelevant. And also, don’t care. I’m not gonna be some weird little twink you can take out to dinner and dote on and fuck a couple times and then go back to living your normal, _straight_ life.” For some odd reason, he’s all fired up over nothing. If you consider being hit on by sleazy guys like Josh - some with blatant wedding rings on their fingers - twenty times a day nothing. Guys looking for some strange, a quick fuck to satisfy what their wives can’t. “Get out of my line.”

“Tyler, that’s not fair-“

“Life’s not fair,” Tyler says petulantly. He sees his manager coming back to the customer service desk which means he has to speed this up before he gets in trouble for being rude to a guest. “I don’t wanna go out with you and I don’t want to ring you up. So I’m asking you kindly to please leave. And find another grocery store to go to while you’re at it.”

Tyler knows for a fact that this is the only organic supermarket for a good fifteen miles. Good. Make him work for it.

Josh definitely wants to say something else, to dispute everything Tyler just said, or maybe curse him out. But he doesn’t. He puts his daughter’s sugar-free juice packets on the counter and he leaves.

-

Josh stops coming to the store and Tyler doesn’t hear from him for two weeks after that.

And even though he’s gotten other offers from guys wanting to take him out, he’s declined them all.

“Maybe I should like, buff up,” he says to Mark one day in the library. “Then I can grow a beard and be a bear and stop being this sick little twink fantasy for so many guys.”

“Only one problem with that,” Mark says over his homework, and then glances up, “you can’t put on weight to save your life.”

“You don’t think if someone put a gun to my head and asked me to gain ten pounds in a week that I could do it?”

Mark only frowns.

“Damn…you’re right, though.”

“Is this about Josh?” Mark asks hesitantly.

“No!” A pause. “I mean, maybe a little. Look, he was just the catalyst. I realize now the whole thing’s fucked. Being gay. It’s not fucking fun. Not in this world. Guys like Josh are why no one can take us seriously.”

“I think you’re being a little too hard on him.”

The truth is, Tyler thinks so too.

-

He waits for Josh to call, and realizes he’s not going to. Tyler ripped into him so bad that he’s most likely moved on by now, either to a girl if he’s straight or a guy if he just so happens to be gay. Tyler’s not holding his breath.

He’s also not calling Josh because he expects anything to come of it. He’s not calling because he wants to still go on a date, he’s not calling because he’s secretly in love with a guy he’s only met three times. He’s calling because he wants some answers.

Which, by the way, is a thing he’s doing. Calling Josh. From the bathroom again so Mark can’t eavesdrop. He’s pacing beside the toilet, kind of hoping Josh won’t pick up.

“Tyler?”

Damn.

Confounded, Tyler says, “Are you gay?”

There’s static on the other end. It lasts so long Tyler thinks Josh must have hung up. Then, finally, “Yes, I’m gay.”

“Not…not bisexual or pansexual or omni or anything like that?”

“No.”

“Then explain your daughter.” He grimaces, realizing how shitty that sounded. “I mean, you don’t have to explain _why_ you had her, just how-“

“I didn’t know. Back then, I didn’t know. Or…I guess I did? But I didn’t want to face it. And when my wife and I had Riley she was the best thing that ever happened to me. You won’t understand until you have kids - _if_ you have kids - but believe it or not she was what gave me the courage to stop lying to myself. And my wife.”

“And that’s why you divorced? Because she found out you were gay?”

“Because I told her.”

Tyler chews on a fingernail. “And, what, she hates you now?”

“I would prefer not to talk about her, Tyler.”

“Okay.”

There’s a silence that’s not exactly awkward and not exactly comfortable.

And then Josh says, “Can I explain why I cancelled on you?”

“Sure.” Even though this is kind of the part he’s dreading most.

“Riley’s mom…she wasn’t the most understanding about the whole me being gay thing. I told her not to tell anyone until I knew for sure what was going on, but she went ahead and told all of our mutual friends anyway and I lost a lot of people I was close with after that. Among other things.” A sigh. “Those two weekends I had told her that I had something to do and asked if she could please take Riley those days. She said yes, but when the time came for us to go out she sprung it on me that she couldn’t have Riley, that she had something very important to do, and I’d have to take her.”

Tyler scrubs a hand over his face. “Why not just hire a babysitter?”

A humorless laugh from Josh’s end. “You’re gonna think I’m crazy, but I don’t like leaving her with other people. I don’t trust anyone enough.”

Tyler feels like an asshole. “No, that’s…that’s not crazy. I understand. My mom was like that with my brother when he was born.”

“So, yeah. I am really sorry for flaking, but what was I supposed to do? Bring her to dinner with us?”

With dawning realization, Tyler grins, chin nestled in his palm. “Yeah, actually.” Josh doesn’t say anything - probably flabbergasted - so Tyler goes on. “Tell your ex that you need this weekend free. If she still makes you take Riley, bring her to dinner. I won’t mind.”

“…Tyler?”

“Oh.” Horror sets in, as he now realizes he may have gotten ahead of himself. “That is, if you still want to even go on a date with me. After how I acted.”

“I do,” Josh says, sounding very sure of himself, and Tyler is relieved. “I just…are you sure?”

“Positive. I’ll phone around and see if I can find any restaurants that serve kid stuff without…what was it, again?”

“Maltodextrin.”

“Right. Does that sound okay?”

“Jesus, Tyler, that sounds…that sounds perfect. Thank you.”

“Just don’t make me regret this. Please.”

“I won’t.”

-

That’s how Tyler Joseph finds himself out to dinner with Josh Dun. And Riley Dun in a booster chair beside them.

“Mama told me ‘argh, matey’ really is what pirates say so I’m gonna say that from now on. You’re welcome.” She pops a celery stick between her teeth.

“Thank you?” Tyler has an amused smile on his face and Josh looks absolutely petrified. “She’s precocious as hell…heck. Sorry.”

Josh doesn’t even correct him, just leans over and tells Riley to stop playing with her food. She has the remainder of her celery sticks propped up in a puddle of peanut butter, creating a fort, pretending her carrots are soldiers at the gate.

“Josh.” Tyler reaches across the table to put a hand on Josh’s arm. “She’s fine. This is fine, I promise. It’s not weird.”

“Why weird?” Riley chirps, but not like she expects an answer. She’s still playing with her celery.

Josh is _so_ pale.

“What’s it gonna take for me to get you to loosen up, huh?”

The double entendre isn’t lost on Josh, who finally exhales and leans back in his seat. He scrubs a hand over his beard. “God, it’s been so long since I’ve been on a first date I don’t even know what to do on one.”

“Can’t say I blame you. This isn’t exactly a normal date, with ole’ ball and chain over here.” Tyler hikes a finger at Riley and Josh looks mortified once more. “Kidding! Totally kidding.”

Riley sticks a peanut butter-covered tongue out at Tyler and Tyler blows a raspberry back. She giggles.

“Tell you what.” Tyler turns his attention back to Josh. “I can ask you some questions and then you can ask me some. How’s that?”

Rigid, Josh nods.

Tyler starts with what he does for a living. Marketing. What his favorite food is. Tacos. His favorite movie. Fight Club.

“What’s that?” Riley asks with a mouthful of food.

“A movie you can’t see until you’re very old,” Josh tells her, and ruffles her hair.

Tyler smiles. “Have you always lived in Columbus?”

“I was born and raised in Cincinnati, actually. After the divorce was finalized I moved up here. The day we met you, actually, was the day I officially moved in.”

“And…Riley’s mom. She still lives in Cincinnati?”

“Yes.” Josh gives a curt little nod. Tyler won’t make him talk about her any more than he already has, since it seems to pain him so much.

He turns his attention to Riley. “And how about you? What’s your favorite movie?”

She hoists a celery stick like a sword. “Pirates of the Caribbean!”

-

Josh invites Tyler back to his house, which is in the county and bigger than any house Tyler has ever stepped in.

Riley is rubbing her eyes and yawning and Josh says he’s going to put her to bed, that Tyler can make himself comfortable in the living room, when his phone rings. “Shit, it’s work. Can you-“

Without thinking, Tyler scoops Riley up and settles her on his hip. “No problem.”

“…I was gonna say keep an eye on her, but-“ Josh cuts himself off, sees the way Riley’s winding her tiny arms around Tyler’s neck, too tired to even call her father out on using a curse word. “U-Uh…her bedroom’s on the second floor - last door on the right.”

Tyler nods and starts climbing the stairs as Josh answers his ringing cell phone, half watching Tyler with his daughter and half slinking into the kitchen. It’s a testament to how much money Josh really has that his house is more than two stories. He stops on the second floor, though curious as to what’s on the third.

Riley’s room is all shades of pink - Josh obviously put a lot of thought into the design, but not the kind Riley wanted apparently because she’s slapped pirate stickers all over the walls. And Josh evidently rethought his choice and had someone come in to put a giant skull and crossbones decal over her bed.

“You’re a lucky kid, you know that?” He whispers, and Riley stirs as he lays her down.

“Dad?”

Tyler’s pulling her shoes off when he says, “Nope. Just Tyler.”

“Oh.” She can barely keep her eyes open.

Tyler pulls the covers down under her and then back over, tucking her in like his mom used to do for him. “Goodnight,” he says quietly, rising to go, but she claps a chubby little hand over his.

“Were you and daddy on a date tonight?”

Glancing around the odd-looking room, Tyler doesn’t know how to answer that. Then he decides there’s no point in lying to the girl, right? “Yeah. We were.”

“Good. Daddy needs a boyfriend even though mommy calls him nasty names and says he’s bad. But daddy needs someone to take care of him, too.”

After that, she’s fading, eyes closed completely and her head tilting back. Tyler shakes her hand. “What kind of names does she call him? Riley?”

But it’s too late - she’s out like a light.

Tyler scrubs a hand through his hair and lets himself out quietly, closing the door with a quiet shuff of air.

“How is she?” Josh’s voice is loud in the hallway.

“Shhh!” Tyler shushes him and ushers him down the hall. “She’s fine. I put her to sleep in the clothes she was wearing. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course.” Instead of leading Tyler downstairs, Josh starts taking the steps upstairs. “I didn’t expect you to do that anyway.”

They emerge into a lounge, complete with minibar and everything.

Tyler’s eyes widen. “Jesus, dude. How much money do you _have_?”

“A bit.” Josh goes to sit on the couch, motioning for Tyler to follow.

“You’re not trying to get me drunk, are you?”

“That’s something I will not do, Mr. Not Yet 21.”

Tyler sits beside Josh, but a fair distance away. The couch is huge. “You’re not gonna drink, are you?”

“No.” Josh turns the TV on, but keeps the volume low. The news is on and he doesn’t bother to change it. Tyler gets the feeling they’re not going to be doing much TV-watching anyway.

He rubs his palms against his thighs. “How’s everything with work?”

“Ugh, tiring. _Annoying_. I told them not to call me this weekend, but you know how that goes.”

“I really don’t.” Tyler tilts his head and sticks his tongue out, going for cute. At the restaurant Josh asked what he did for a living, if he worked anywhere other than the grocery store, and Tyler told him he was a student.

Josh chuckles, low and dark. “Right. Well, you will. Soon enough.”

“I guess.” He stills, watching the rigid muscle of Josh’s jaw working and working. “So, I promise I’m not trying to stall or anything - I do wanna have sex with you. If that’s something you were into doing tonight. But I wanted to tell you something first. I don’t wanna wait until later, or make it seem like I was trying to hide it or something.”

“Hm?”

“Um…” Tyler scratches his head, his arm, his knee. He doesn’t even know if he should tell Josh, but he’s oddly compelled to. “…Riley told me something, when I was putting her to bed. She said…she said your ex says bad shit about you when you’re not around. Calls you names and stuff like that. It’s none of my business, I get that. But I really thought you should know. So you could…”

So he could what? Try to un-brainwash his daughter before it was too late?

Josh is very quiet, running a hand over his beard again and again.

“I’m sorry if I-“

“Thank you for telling me, Tyler. I had a feeling she was probably badmouthing me around her, but I had no idea she was _such_ a bitch.”

They fall silent again and Tyler looks at the TV, at the news casters laughing about some funny joke one of them told. “Hey, I can go-“

“Don’t.” Josh slides forward and puts a hand on Tyler’s knee, runs it hesitantly up his thigh. “Thank you for telling me,” he says again, and kisses Tyler on the mouth.

Josh’s beard burns where it scrapes against the lower half of Tyler’s face and they’re both pulling at each others’ clothing. Tyler’s shirt comes off in a flurry, Josh’s nice dress pants go flying behind the bar, and then Josh’s shirt is gone and Tyler has to squeeze himself to keep from instantly orgasming.

“ _Jesus_.” He’s looking at Josh’s arm, at the tattoos on it.

“What?” Josh is breathing hard. “Is something wrong?”

“I never took you for a tattoo guy is all.” Tyler leans forward and latches his mouth onto Josh’s arm, sliding his tongue all along the design there, biting and licking and sucking against the inside of his elbow.

Josh is eventually able to draw him away, coaxing them both out of the rest of their clothes. “Sorry we have to do this here, but downstairs-“

“Don’t apologize, dude. Like I said before, it’s not weird.” Tyler can’t stop touching Josh’s arm, the colors there are still such a shock.

Josh is prepared with a condom and as soon as he pushes in with a stuttering thrust, Tyler grips hard onto him and moans as loud as he dares. As Josh starts up a steady rhythm, Tyler growls desperately. “Hey, I kinda wanna…call you something. But I don’t want it to be weird. It’s just like, you’re older and it’s really hot and-“

“You can say it.”

Tyler rolls his hips and breathes, “Daddy.”

Josh grunts and Tyler feels him twitch inside. “Again.”

“Daddy, fuck. Harder. C’mon, please.” Tyler’s head tips forward and then back, and Josh’s beard burns his cheek. “Josh, seriously. You can fuck me as hard as you want - I’m not gonna break.”

Josh pushes his thighs back toward his chest and rolls his hips hard. He gathers Tyler against him and calls him baby boy and things slow as they get close, Josh just barely moving in him now. He takes Tyler’s hand and says thank you and they come together when Josh presses his forehead to Tyler’s.

With Josh collapsed on top of him, Tyler catches his breath and grasps onto the other man’s back with a sweaty hand. “I’m so fucking glad we went on that date.”

“We’re going on another one,” Josh tells him, no room for debate. “Next weekend. Already made the reservations.”

“Is that so? What about Riley?”

“I’m hoping one of my sisters can finally take her.” Josh sits up and runs a hand through Tyler’s hair, who preens against it.

“Or she can just come with again. I don’t mind.”

“It should just be us.”

Tyler likes the sound of that.

Josh invites him to stay the night and since he doesn’t have class tomorrow or work until late, he agrees and gets carried to Josh’s bedroom on the second floor, where they curl up together.

Tyler reaches out in the dark and finds Josh’s shoulder, pulls himself as close against Josh as is physically possible. “Hey, if this is gonna be a thing-“

“It is,” Josh yawns.

Tyler giggles, then goes quiet. “I just don’t want you to be upset that I can’t…do things for you the way you can for me. My family doesn’t have very much money, I’m working to put myself through school, and I can’t buy you things or pay for dinners or-“

“Shhh, Ty. It’s okay.” Josh has put his arms around Tyler, holding him close. “I have more than enough money for us.”

 _Yeah,_ Tyler thinks, settling his head against Josh’s chest to hear his heart beating. _Definitely found myself a sugar daddy._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler's watching Riley when That Bitch shows up.

Riley holds a chubby hand up, a tiny pirate action figure clutched in her fingers. “What’s his name?”

“Hm.” Tyler takes the figure and examines it - reds and blacks painted messily to form a bandana, a cheap golden sword. It reminds Tyler of the toys he and Zack used to play with as kids “He looks like a Jack.”

“No!” Riley snatches the figurine back and places him atop the toy pirate ship. “He can’t be Jack.”

“And why not?”

“Because Jack is in Pirates of the Caribbean. Haven’t you ever seen that?”

“Can’t say that I have.”

Riley looks at him like he has three heads. She abandons her toys and goes to the DVD player, where she busies herself putting her favorite movie in. “Ew,” she says, and flings a Barbie DVD across the room.

“Riley,” Tyler groans, grabs the disc from under the toy box and sets it carefully on the dresser. Josh is already spending enough money on Tyler as it is - he doesn’t need his daughter smashing valuable things while Tyler’s supposed to be watching her.

Ignoring Tyler’s complaint, Riley pushes play and settles back on the floor beside him. “We can watch this until daddy gets home. You’ll love it, I promise.”

“Okay, but-“

The doorbell rings.

“I’ll pause,” Riley declares, grabbing the remote.

“Thanks, kid.” Tyler gives a kiss to the top of her head and divests himself of the pirate figurines she piled on him an hour ago. He lets himself out of the room to the sounds of her making her toys fight each other, shooting imaginary cannonballs and walking the plank.

Tyler pulls the front door open to an agitated looking woman with shoulder-length brown hair and a long face. She’s wearing large dark sunglasses, which she whips off as she tries to shove past him into the foyer.

“Joshua, I-“

“ _Sorry,_ ” Tyler asserts, blocking her way. “Can I help you?”

The woman pierces him with startling blue eyes, a hand on the doorframe. “Yes, you most certainly can. By telling me where my ex-husband and my daughter might be…and who you are.”

Tyler realizes with sudden clarity that this is That Bitch, as he calls her in his head. Julia to Josh. Mommy to Riley. Josh’s ex-wife.

“I’m the babysitter.” He doesn’t know why he says that at first, but then thinks. Yes, he does. Julia is homophobic, based on all the things Josh and Riley have told him. If she finds out her ex-husband’s boyfriend is here alone with Riley she might make a stink about it.

“That’s rich. Josh, hiring a babysitter. I suppose he isn’t as much of a nervous wreck as I had him pegged for all these years after all.” She tries to shove through again, but Tyler makes himself bigger in the doorway. “What are you-“

“You’re Riley’s mom. But that doesn’t mean I have to let you in. This is still Josh’s house. What’re you here for?”

“Excuse _you_ \- I’m here for my daughter. She has a doctor’s appointment, in case Josh forgot. Which I don’t doubt he did, father of the year that he is.” Julia’s rolling her eyes and tossing her hair and making to enter the house _yet again._

“Give me a minute,” Tyler says, and slams the door in her face.

It takes him more than a minute to collect his thoughts, even longer to get Riley into her shoes and coat because she’s moaning about not wanting to go to the doctor. “It’ll be fun, Ry. Your mom’ll be there with you and I’m sure they’ll give you a lollipop after.” He’s carrying her down the stairs on his hip, but sets her on her feet before he opens the door. No reason to give the crazy bitch of an ex-wife any more reason to think Josh isn’t doing a good job as a parent.

“I go to the doctor all the time for my tummy. They never give me lollipops.”

Tyler realizes Riley probably can’t even have lollipops anyway because of her sugar thing.

He bends down to her level and straightens her jacket. “Next time we see each other, we can watch Pirates of the Caribbean, okay?”

She thinks about it and decides that’s a good enough gift for going to the evil doctor. “Okay, TyTy.” She hugs him and Tyler opens the door.

“Mommy!” Riley’s shrieking immediately, and runs into Julia’s arms.

For all the shit she’s carrying - a purse, her phone, her sunglasses, and a cup of coffee - Julia takes her daughter easily and hoists her up. “Hey, Riley Rocket! You ready for the doctor?”

“Not really,” Riley sighs, and Julia kisses her on the cheek.

Then she turns to Tyler. “Let Joshua know I was here, will you? That man would lose his head if it weren’t attached to his body.” Julia turns and starts down the drive.

Fuck it.

Tyler never thought he was all that petty, but.

“Hey, Riley! Who am I?”

Riley turns in her mother’s arms and gives Tyler a gap-toothed smile over Julia’s shoulder. “Tyler!”

“No, who _am_ I?”

“You’re daddy’s boyfriend!”

Julia stops, turns, and looks at Tyler. The expression on her face is enough to curdle milk.

“Have a good one, guys!” Tyler tips a salute and closes the door.

Leaning against it, he wonders if he made a mistake. Eventually he decides that no, Julia deserved it. Julia deserves to be run over by her own BMW, to be boiled alive, to get caught in the tanning machine she undoubtedly uses to get that kind of glow at this time of year.

The one thing he can’t get out of his mind, though, when he goes upstairs to clean up Riley’s toys and turn the movie off, is that Julia was really pretty.

-

Josh gets home late. Tyler hears him pull up in the driveway and meets him at the front door.

He swings it wide, a cheeky grin on his face. “Hi, honey-“

But Josh is dropping the grocery bags he’s carrying, wrapping his arms around Tyler’s middle and dipping him low in the foyer, pressing their lips together like a man starved for affection. _He shouldn’t be,_ Tyler thinks. _I give him so much affection. Too much, probably._

When they part, Josh is smirking. “You were saying?”

“I was going to make a joke,” Tyler says breathily, fingers tight on Josh’s dress shirt. “But you ruined it.”

“Sorry.” But he doesn’t sound very sorry.

Tyler helps him carry the bags into the kitchen, where they unpack everything for dinner.

“Is Ry asleep?”

Tyler feels a jolt. “Uh, Julia came to pick her up. For a doctor’s appointment?”

At his ex-wife’s name, Josh turns suddenly and a tomato plops onto the floor. Tyler picks it up and sets it in the sink. Josh is watching him, eyes blazing. “You met her?”

“Yeah. She was…okay.”

“You don’t have to lie, Ty. She’s-“

“A bitch.”

Josh finally looks away, to the tomato in the sink, hands braced on the countertop. “Yeah. Bet she told you she knew I’d forget about the appointment, didn’t she? Funny thing is I actually did.”

“Hey, that’s not your fault.” Tyler rests a comforting hand on Josh’s arm, rubbing gently. “You’ve had a lot going on with work, with me, with-“

“With you?”

“Josh, I know I can be a handful.”

Josh crowds Tyler against the counter and cups his face in both hands. “How?”

Tyler’s own hands go to Josh’s wrists. “You know.”

“Because I buy you things?”

“You buy me things, you pick me up and drive me places, you let me stay here and watch TV when I don’t have class-“

“I do all those things for Riley, too. You wouldn’t say she’s a burden.”

“She’s your _daughter._ ”

“And you’re my boyfriend.” Josh presses their foreheads together, briefly, then backs away and goes to a bag on the counter Tyler didn’t notice before. There’s something inside, but it’s flat and rectangular. Definitely not for dinner. “If you really hate me buying you things so much you’re gonna be pretty upset in a few seconds.”

“Oh, God. What is it this time?” Tyler tries not to sound ungrateful because he’s not. He’s really not. But when Josh told him he had enough money for the both of them he didn’t expect any of this. Just like he doesn’t expect the brand new laptop - a MacBook - that Josh pulls from the bag. “Jesus, Josh. I can’t accept that.”

Tyler has been complaining about how shitty his laptop is for the past few weeks, how it’s constantly powering off on him when he’s trying to write papers, how it never has enough space for things he needs to download. He never actually thought Josh would go out and buy him a $2,000 laptop.

Josh flips the box in his hands. “You can either accept it or it can sit in my closet collecting dust.”

“Use it for work,” Tyler protests.

“I already have one.”

Tyler whines and actually stomps his foot before he approaches Josh, the laptop sandwiched between them. “Remind me to never complain about anything ever again.”

“You’ve got it,” Josh says, and kisses him sweetly.

-

After dinner they curl up on the sofa to catch up on their shows, but it isn’t long before Josh is kissing at Tyler’s neck, laying him down against the cushions, running a hand up Tyler’s thigh.

Tyler wants Josh just as much as he did the first time they did this. But there’s something he can’t stop thinking about.

“Julia,” Tyler says, and Josh stops automatically, lips stilling on Tyler’s collarbone. “She’s pretty, isn’t she?”

Josh sits up, between the V of Tyler’s spread legs. “She is, I have to give her that. Not really my type, though.” Underneath Josh, Tyler sighs and looks down. “Why are you thinking about that, Ty?”

“I don’t _know,_ ” Tyler says truthfully, as the light from the TV plays over them. “I just get possessive and jealous and I know I shouldn’t. She’s your ex for a reason-“

“I’m gay.”

“Exactly. But I get clingy anyway. I’m sorry.”

Shaking his head, Josh hunkers back down and kisses Tyler’s jaw. “Don’t apologize. It’s normal to feel that way.” He kisses Tyler’s neck again, takes his shirt off and kisses his chest. “But you don’t have to be jealous. Because I have the prettiest boy ever right here.”

That makes Tyler’s legs shake and his arms squeeze around Josh’s waist. “You gonna fuck me then, daddy?”

“Mhm,” Josh hums, pinning Tyler’s wrists above his head. “Gonna fuck you so hard you forget you ever even met my bitch of an ex-wife.”

He can’t completely erase the memory of Julia at the front door, but he does a pretty damn good job.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of dinners.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this last part is for everyone who asked. thank you so much for reading and commenting. i love you guys.

The first few months of their relationship were spent in a whirlwind of intermingled activities, Josh at work, Tyler at class, both of them taking care of Riley, and trying to catch snippets of time for themselves. Mostly up in Josh’s lounge with the TV on low in the background, Josh’s hands gripping Tyler’s hair as he bucked up into his mouth. But sometimes in Josh’s gigantic bed, when Riley was with Julia, Tyler riding Josh like his life depended on it, rolling his hips and putting on a show.

All the time in the world with Josh would never be enough.

But now that summer has rolled around they’ve decided to see where things might go permanently. Tyler won’t have class anymore and though he’s picked up a few more shifts at the grocery store Josh has made it abundantly clear that missing any of those shifts won’t put even a dent in Tyler’s pocket. His meaning being, of course, that he can just give Tyler whatever money he doesn’t make on a certain day, which still makes Tyler uncomfortable. But being without Josh makes him even more uncomfortable.

As for Josh, his hours fluctuate during the summer months, as the company brings in more interns to do menial tasks. Leaving Josh to simply do his job and leave early every day.

Which is how he’s able to meet Tyler on campus after his last day of class.

Josh waves through the window at Tyler, who’s walking side by side with Mark. Tyler can’t wave back because he’s carrying two frappe’s from the cafe, but he does beam and see Josh smile back, that warm smile that always makes Tyler hot from the tips of his toes up into his cheeks.

“When’re you gonna let me meet him? Like, officially.” This from Mark, who is watching Tyler’s moonstruck performance with an arched eyebrow.

“Soon, trust me. Can you open the door for me?”

Mark does so, allowing Tyler to climb inside and deposit the drinks into the cupholders.

“Hey-“ Josh starts, but Mark cuts him off, head craned inside the open car door like some kind of intruding giraffe.

“Hi, just so you know, I’m Tyler’s best friend. If you hurt him, I’ll…crush your balls or something.” As he says this, he takes in Josh’s bulging arms and most likely realizes he wouldn’t be able to crush anything on Josh if he tried, unless Josh happened to be dead asleep with no chance of waking up any time soon.

“Duly noted,” Josh says, obviously amused.

“ _Mark,_ ” Tyler growls, and kicks out at Mark’s shin.

“I’m going, I’m going. Just…be cool, bro.” Mark makes an ‘I see you’ gesture at Josh and Tyler feels a raging blush as he snaps the door shut.

“Jesus, sorry about him.”

“You have protective friends.” Josh leans over and kisses just below Tyler’s ear, making him blush further. He can see in the reflection of the windshield that he’s a bright maroon color now.

He curls a hand around the back of Josh’s neck and rubs at his nose. “I got you something for once.”

“I see that.” Josh grabs one of the frappe’s, takes a gulp, and then settles it between his legs as he pulls away from the curb. “Mm, that’s really good.”

“The cafe on campus has the best frappe’s. One of the only things I miss over the summer.”

“Don’t worry.” Josh claps a hand on Tyler’s thigh. “We’ll keep you stocked up on Starbucks in the meantime.”

Tyler giggles and takes Josh’s hand, kisses his fingers and hopes he conveniently forgot about-

“You ready for dinner tonight?”

Or not.

Tyler frowns and looks out of the window, hoping Josh won’t see. “You want the truth? Or a lie?”

“Tyler,” Josh says patiently, and squeezes Tyler’s thigh again. “They’re going to love you. I swear. If my parents loved Julia they’re gonna love you.”

Tyler twitches. “Or they’re going to hate me because they loved Julia.”

“Nope. When I told them I was gay they did nothing but accept me. I promise, they won’t hate you. Would I lie to you?”

Tyler’s mom used to ask him that, whenever she gave him advice he didn’t want to take. She always turned out to be right. He shrugs. “I guess not…”

“Don’t sulk. We can get home and relax for a bit before we have to leave. Does that sound good?” Josh’s hand makes its way dangerously close to Tyler’s crotch.

Tyler grabs it and puts it directly on him, moans for good measure and bucks up under Josh’s palm. “If you promise to treat me right I promise to behave tonight.”

He’s kidding, of course.

Because when they get to Josh’s parents’ house on the outskirts of Columbus Tyler stands on the threshold and says, “I think I’m gonna puke.” He will not be misbehaving tonight. And that’s not just because Josh bent him over the back of the couch and fucked him into it an hour ago.

Josh fumbles with his keys. “Ty, relax. When I open this door you’re gonna regret ever even worrying.” The door swings wide and Josh calls, “Mom! Dad! We’re here!”

Tyler is blasted in the face with the smell of delicious food and Josh’s dad dragging his son into the house, giving him a rub to the top of his head. Josh pushes his father away good-naturedly and then the man is on Tyler, slinging an arm around his shoulders and saying, “And you must be Tyler.”

He does feel sort of silly for worrying so much because he forgot one very important facet of his and Josh’s relationship. That Josh is a lot older than him. So consequently Josh’s parents are a lot older than Tyler’s parents. They’re both mostly gray, with lots of laugh lines and wrinkles and Josh’s mom gets her tacky lipstick on Tyler’s cheek when she kisses him, after he hands her the flowers he got for her.

“Well, aren’t you thoughtful!” She exclaims, sniffing the flowers. “And handsome to boot. Josh, you got yourself a winner here.”

“I know, Mom. He was so nervous to come over, he really wants to make a good impression.” Josh has already taken a seat at the table, waiting for his parents to serve him like a little kid. He has the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.

“Josh!” Tyler chides, his face flaming. He just catches Josh’s wink as he turns back to Josh’s mother. “Do you need help with anything, Mrs. Dun?”

“No, dear. You can take a seat with Josh and let me handle everything. And please, call me Laura.”

She shoos him back to Josh, who reaches out. “Yeah, Ty. Come have a _seat_ with me.” He pulls Tyler by the waist down onto his lap and Tyler tries to push shyly away from him, watching Josh’s parents. But they’re puttering around near the stove, arguing quietly about how much salt should be added to something. So Tyler relaxes back into Josh’s embrace, arms winding around his boyfriend’s shoulders.

“Told you you had nothing to worry about,” Josh mutters, and his beard scratches Tyler’s jaw as he kisses there.

“They’re really nice,” Tyler concedes, and feels relief wash over him. He doesn’t mention that he’s not as nervous as he was because Josh’s parents are old. But he feels like being an old person just somehow makes you nicer. You don’t hear the phrase ‘vicious old woman’ being thrown around as often as you do ‘kindly old lady.’ It just doesn’t happen.

Dinner goes by quickly and easily, Josh’s mom cracking raunchy jokes about how young Tyler is and Josh’s dad rolling his eyes and threatening to divorce her. Jokingly, one would hope.

But Josh doesn’t look worried. In fact, he looks as at ease with his parents as he does when he’s playing with Riley. As he does when he’s around Tyler. He finds himself watching Josh because of this, the fluidity of his movements, the ease with which his perpetually blinding grin makes its way to his face again and again.

And by the time Tyler is stuffed full of meatloaf and potatoes Josh’s parents know all about him and how he met Josh and Josh even tells them the nasty stuff, how Tyler didn’t believe Josh was really gay, how Josh kept having to cancel on him because of Julia.

At the mention of Julia the table goes silent and Josh’s dad rolls a brussel sprout around on his plate. “Nasty woman,” he murmurs.

Tyler bites his lip. “I met her.”

Josh and his parents look at him.

“I met her. One day when Josh wasn’t home. I was watching Riley and um, I actually told her I was the babysitter.”

Josh’s parents devolve into fits of laughter and Josh looks at Tyler like he could kiss him right there, mouth full of chewed up meatloaf and everything. Tyler smiles softly and squeezes Josh’s hand under the table. Josh squeezes back.

At the front door Josh’s mom gives Tyler a tight hug. “Good luck with everything, Tyler. We look forward to seeing you a lot more. We will, right?”

“I promise.” Tyler nods, and shakes Josh’s dad’s hand when he offers it.

“I’m sure that’ll please you, Laura.”

“Of course it will,” Josh’s mom says, hand on her hip. “If I weren’t so attached to you I’d have already traded you in for a newer model.”

Josh closes the door on his parents’ playful bickering without so much as a backward glance. “So?”

“That was easy.”

“Told you.” Josh kisses Tyler on the front lawn of his parents’ house, tangled up with him in the pale moonlight. He brushes their noses together. “One down, two to go.”

-

A week later they have dinner with Tyler’s parents.

And it’s everything dinner with Josh’s parents wasn’t.

Beforehand Tyler told Josh he thought everything would go okay. “They’re fine with me being gay, so I don’t see why they’d have a problem with anything.”

He knows this isn’t as comforting as all the shit Josh told him before meeting the Duns, putting Tyler at ease and stroking a gentle hand down his side. But Josh has had 34 years with his parents. Tyler has only had 20. And while 20 years might be more than enough for most people to really get a grasp on their parents, Tyler has always felt rather alien to his. Especially his father. He wishes Zack could have been here at least, but his mom sent all his siblings away for the night. So it’s just him and Josh and his parents.

The first thing he hates is how his mom answers the door, feigning politeness and hugging Tyler while only giving a little wave to Josh, and a “how do you do.” He tries to send his thoughts telepathically to his mother, begging her to hug Josh the way Josh’s mom hugged him.

But she just leads them into the kitchen, where Tyler’s dad is facing the stove not saying a word.

“Chris, honey-“ Tyler’s mom starts, but Tyler takes the wheel.

“Hey, dad. This is Josh.”

Tyler’s father turns, looks at Josh’s outstretched hand, and grunts on his way to his seat.

That’s the second thing he hates, feeling himself burning up even as Josh grabs his elbow and squeezes affectionately.

At the table, the food plated and everyone digging in, Tyler’s father still doesn’t say anything.

And his mother says things like, “We always knew Tyler was different,” and “but we didn’t expect him to be with someone so…well, so much older than him.”

“Mom-“ Tyler tries to say.

But his dad finally pipes up. “How old _are_ you, Josh?”

“I’m 34, sir.”

The table goes quiet, like it did at Josh’s parents’ when Julia was mentioned. Only this time Tyler doesn’t know what to say to break the tension and make everyone laugh. He grips his fork tight and stares across the table at Josh. Josh meets his gaze with…what? Tyler tries to decipher the look.

But then his dad is saying, “You know Tyler is only 20, correct?” and Tyler stands from the table, chair scraping abruptly on the floor.

“We’re going,” he says, because that’s what he does when things get tough. He runs.

But Josh just says, “Tyler,” and Tyler’s mom says, “Chris.”

Tyler’s father shrugs, looks at Josh with distrustful eyes. “I’m just saying. The boy’s not even old enough to legally have a drink yet-“

“Dad!”

“Tyler.” Josh stays seated, moves his gaze purposefully to Tyler’s father. “I know how old Tyler is. And with all due respect, sir, he’s not a boy.”

“Just because someone’s older than 18 doesn’t make them a man.”

“Dad, what the fuck?” Tyler is still standing, shaking now because everything’s going wrong and Josh isn’t going to want him anymore if his parents make this difficult for him.

“Tyler, language,” his mother says calmly.

“No! He can’t just sit there and _do_ that, try to make it seem like Josh is some predator preying on me like I’m a high school student. I’m in college and I’m sure as hell more mature than most other guys my age. I thought you guys were cool with this, otherwise I never would’ve brought him here.” He’s getting choked up and he wishes he wasn’t. “I-I’m sorry you guys think I’m abnormal or something, that _th-this_ is abnormal. But it’s n-not. I have to go.

“Tyler,” Josh says one more time, but Tyler’s headed for the front door with angry tears streaking his face.

And he feels like a child, on the front steps sobbing uncontrollably because his parents ruined everything. It was so easy with Josh’s mom and dad and Tyler never guessed it wouldn’t be with his. Maybe a little awkward at first, sure, but certainly not hostile like that, with his dad announcing to the room that he still saw his own son as a child.

He is, he realizes. His dad sees it, and now Josh will too. The veil has been lifted, so to speak. It shows itself even plainer in the tears that just keep coming, streaming hot and heavy and childish down his face.

Josh stays inside for a long time and Tyler still hasn’t stopped crying by the time he steps out and closes the door behind him.

Tyler shoots up for one last conversation with the man he loves now that everything is destroyed. “I’m sorry,” he moans, and Josh catches his arms. “I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t know they were like that. I know I should have, I’m the worst son and an even worse boyfriend, Jesus, I didn’t even dare tell them about Riley because I know my mom would’ve flipped her shit too and I’m just so sorry, Josh, I know it’s over and that’s okay-“

“Tyler.” Finally Josh gets his attention and Tyler looks up with a runny nose and a wet face. Josh frowns and pulls Tyler closer, brushes his thumbs through the damp tracks on Tyler’s cheeks, even swipes at the snot bubbling out from his nostrils. “Nothing is over. I talked to your parents.”

The simple sentence ‘nothing is over’ makes Tyler collapse against Josh, suddenly exhausted. “What’d you say?”

“I explained some things to them. They might need a while to come around, but I think they will.”

Tyler groans and pushes his face, hard, into Josh’s chest. “I’m sorry I’m such a child. I can’t stop crying. I really thought you were gonna leave me because of this.”

“Never, Tyler.” Gently, Josh starts leading Tyler to the car, nestling him against his side. “Crying doesn’t make you childish. It just means you care.”

“I care so much about what just happened in there I feel like I might explode.”

“I know,” Josh says, and when he lets Tyler lean against the car with his hands on Tyler’s waist he looks deathly serious. “I care, too. Don’t think I’m just writing this off. Your parents obviously care about you or they wouldn’t have cared so much that we were dating. But I can’t just have them hate me. I’ll make them like me, I promise.”

“I just really thought they’d be okay with this. They seemed fine with my other boyfriends.” Although now that he thought about it his parents were never in the same room with any of his exes for more than about five minutes at a time. He certainly never brought any of them over for a formal dinner like this.

“None of your other boyfriends were 34,” Josh also points out. He opens the door for Tyler.

As Tyler’s climbing in he reaches out for Josh’s hand. “I really am sorry.”

“You don’t have to be.” Josh cuffs him lightly on the chin and then drives him home.

-

The third dinner more than makes up for the fuckery of the second and the trepidation of the first.

They have it at Josh’s house, on home turf. Tyler will be damned if he has a repeat of the night with his parents. Which he’s told Mark and his other friends about, of course, but Mark can show his hostile side at the most inopportune of times, as evidenced by that last day of class when he threatened to crush Josh’s balls.

Tyler is ready for any of that shit this time, but he doesn’t have to be.

Dinner is a perfectly pleasant affair, with Mark, Jenna, Brad, and Michael seated around the table and Tyler being pulled onto Josh’s lap halfway through the meal.

Jenna _awwww_ s with weepy eyes, half-drunk on wine because she’s the only one of them older than 21, and on their way out Mark takes Tyler aside.

“Dude, he totally doesn’t smell overtly like Old Spice or Bengay. Aren’t you glad I told you to give him a second chance?”

“Uh, if I’m not mistaken all you told me was not to be too hard on him for canceling our dates. Don’t take credit for this.”

“I’ll take credit where credit is due, thank you very much.” Mark bows on his way out, plucking Jenna’s keys from her hand. She’s listing pretty hard to her left and Mark catches her just before she falls onto the lawn. “You two have fun now, y’hear? Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

From behind Mark, Brad whoops and flashes his headlights.

“That leaves us with a very slim list of things we can’t do,” Josh says, coming up behind Tyler and wrapping his arms around Tyler’s waist.

Mark winks and manages to muscle Jenna, moaning about how cute Tyler and Josh are, into the backseat.

Tyler closes the door and turns in Josh’s arms, reminded distinctly of how the last dinner ended. It makes him ecstatic that this isn’t like that at all. He runs his hands up Josh’s biceps. “Well?”

“They like me.”

“They really do.” Tyler nods and kisses Josh deeply, goes to wraps his arms around Josh’s shoulders just as Josh pulls away. Tyler whines, but Josh just laughs and takes his hand.

“Come out to the patio with me for a second.”

The back porch is lined with still-lit tiki torches, the outdoor fireplace still blazing away in front of the lounge chairs. Tyler faces out toward the backyard, though, leaning against the railing. It’s muggy out, but he still lets Josh press close up behind him, arms back around his waist and his chin on Tyler’s shoulder.

“I love you,” Josh says. His voice is quiet, but it echoes in the dead of the night.

“I love you, too.” And then, because he can’t stop himself, “I love everything about you. I love Riley, I love how you’re passionate about your job, I love the way you look when you sleep. And I love how kind you are, how you didn’t let Julia turn you into a prick. Speaking of, it was so nice of you to open that bottle of wine for Jenna.”

Josh steps away from him and Tyler hears a rustling noise. He turns to find Josh pulling something from his pocket, something he keeps clutched deep in his palm. “Tyler.” He falls to one knee.

“Josh? Is something wrong?”

Josh shakes his head, but Tyler isn’t sure if it’s in answer to his question or for some other reason. He’s about to ask again when Josh speaks. “I was going to do this while your friends were here, so they could see and share in it with us. But I decided not to just in case you have to say no. Which I’ll understand. If you have to say no or think about it, I get it. Because you’re still young and these things don’t always work out. I mean, I was 27 when Julia and I got married and mine still didn’t work out.“

“Josh?”

“Tyler,” Josh says again, and takes Tyler’s hand in his. “Tyler, Tyler, Tyler. When Julia and I split up I thought it would take forever to find someone who was right for me, who was patient enough to not care about my job, patient enough to not care that I’d never been with a guy before. And patient enough not to not care that I had a kid, but someone who could actually play an active part in her life. That’s what I was most afraid of. That even if I met a really great guy who I got along with perfectly…that he still wouldn’t get along with Riley, wouldn’t take care of her like I would. And then I met you. And if you think about it you technically met Riley before you even met me. And you’re so good with her and it didn’t take me nearly as long as I thought it would to find you and I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.”

Seeing Josh this emotional has Tyler crying. He’s pretty sure he knows where this is going. And he’s more than ready.

Josh brings his other hand up, proffers the small box Tyler thought he’d find there. Tyler slips his hand from Josh’s, so that Josh can open the box properly. When he does, a simple gold band glints up at him from the surrounding velvet. It’s more beautiful that any diamond ring Tyler has ever seen.

“If you have to say no, I understand. You’re 20, there’s a bunch of stuff you have yet to do and if you want to do those things on your own or if you just think this is too soon, that’s fine. But for me…I’m ready. You’re everything I was missing all those years, everything I thought I could never have. I would say my only regret is that we didn’t meet sooner, but y’know.” Josh doesn’t joke around about Tyler’s age often, which is how Tyler knows this is serious. “Tyler Robert Joseph. You’re a goddamn prince. And I want you to be my prince. Will you marry me?”

“…I can’t believe,” Tyler chokes out, trying not to sob, “that you thought I’d say no.”

“I didn’t know, Ty-“

“Yes.” Tyler closes his hand around the ring, pulling at Josh’s hand for him to stand. “Yes. A thousand times yes. I wanna fucking marry you, Josh.”

Josh dips him into the most romantic kiss he’s ever had, fireworks exploding behind his eyelids, the buzz of the nighttime insects in the trees making him shudder and hold Josh close, salty tears cascading down his cheeks and mixing into their kiss. But neither of them wants to part, licking out at each other and clinging everywhere.

Eventually they have to part for air and Josh wastes no time in pulling at Tyler’s hand, sliding the ring on carefully. Tyler holds his fingers out and starts to cry all over again when the gold catches the flickering light of the torches, when Josh slots their fingers together and Tyler feels the cold metal pressing into his skin.

They kiss again, just because they can’t help it, longer this time. And slower, savoring each other and knowing they’ll have forever to do so.

“I love you,” Tyler says.

“I love you, too.”

“You know Riley’s gonna wanna have a pirate themed wedding.”

“I’ll put it on the list,” Josh says, eyes twinkling.

“And Mark is not invited,” Tyler jokes. “He keeps making stupid old man jokes about you.”

“So, make him my best man. Duly noted.”

“Might as well make him the flower girl. God knows Riley’s not gonna want to do it.”

Josh fixes him with a warm smile. “Sometimes I feel like you know my own daughter better than I do.”

“Hey, she’s about to be my daughter, too.”

As though just realizing Tyler is right, Josh scoops him up and carries him inside.

Tyler can’t fucking wait for the honeymoon.

**Author's Note:**

> always taking requests at my [tumblr](http://vintagetyler.tumblr.com/).


End file.
